TARGAN, a Morrisville, NC-based developer of AI-powered automation for poultry production, has raised $100M in growth financing led by Symbiotic Capital. The company deploys WingScan, an AI system for feather sexing chicks at 97-99% accuracy and up to 160,000 birds per hour. The capital will accelerate WingScan deployments, launch individualized vaccine delivery, and expand into swine and aquaculture.
Poultry Automation Reaches $2B Scale
The raise aligns with poultry automation market growth from $2.0B in 2025 to over $3.5B by 2030 at 9% CAGR. Global poultry production expects 2.5% growth in 2026 amid labor shortages. TARGAN's post-hatch WingScan differentiates from in-ovo rivals like eggXYt and NextHen, delivering commercial-scale accuracy without pre-hatch modifications.
Manual Sexing Strains Hatcheries
Poultry hatcheries face labor shortages and inconsistent manual sexing, with accuracy dropping due to fatigue. Producers cull male chicks post-hatch, drawing welfare scrutiny in regions like the EU. WingScan processes 30 million chicks weekly across 50+ global systems, approaching 2 billion total birds sexed. Customers report 49% fewer rejections and 50% faster processes.
WingScan Delivers Precision Sexing
TARGAN's WingScan uses high-speed imaging and AI to analyze wing patterns, achieving 97-99% accuracy consistently. Unlike manual methods, it minimizes handling for better welfare and captures data for traceability. Boire & Frères scaled from 70,000 to 110,000 chicks per hour post-installation.
As Ramin Karimpour, Founder & CEO, noted:
"WingScan is seeing strong momentum across the United States, Europe and South America."
Vaccine Tech Targets Biosecurity
TARGAN's upcoming Vaccine Delivery System applies micro-dose ocular vaccines to 100,000 birds per hour at 95%+ accuracy. This reduces waste versus group spraying and supports individualized dosing. Expansion beyond poultry addresses similar efficiency gaps in swine and aquaculture production.
Non-Dilutive Capital Signals Traction
Symbiotic Capital, a life sciences credit specialist launched in 2024 with $600M raised, provided the debt facility with a $30M initial tranche. Revenue doubled from 2024 to 2025, validating TARGAN's commercial maturity. The financing replaces prior lender Live Oak Bank, enabling R&D and capex without equity dilution.
Hatchery Tech Market Accelerates
Precision livestock farming underpins the $2.0B poultry automation segment growing to $3.5B by 2030. Competitors include Viscon Hatchery Automation for handling equipment and Agri Advanced Technologies for in-ovo sexing. Regulatory pushes against chick culling favor scalable post-hatch solutions like WingScan.
Founder Bridges Animal Health Vision
Founder Ramin Karimpour brings 30+ years from Zoetis and Pfizer in animal health plus machine vision at MIDAS. His prior venture rebranded into TARGAN. Recent hires include CFO Lily Parshall Wachter and international sales directors for Europe, Brazil, and Asia.
Global Deployments Fuel Expansion
TARGAN plans Asia and Brazil entries alongside vaccine system launch. WingScan traction includes Trouw Nutrition Canada (49% rejection drop) and Pondex Spain (99% on-time delivery). Aggressive hiring targets engineering, operations, and global sales to support 30 million weekly chicks scaling further.